Pages

One of the advantages of M.2 is that it can work with either SATA units if we have the right controller, or with PCI Express native units that also require their own AHCI or NMVe controller. If your PC has PCI Express 2.0 or 3.0, you are able to have M.2 since you will only need the interface adapter. You don’t have to replace your PC in order to use the full power of some of the improved storage units.

If the cutting of the M.2 socket is on the right side, then it is a type 3 socket. Meaning that you have the fastest one of the two.

A lot of units that are being sold already bring the necessary controllers, and in most cases this is the cheapest way to get our hands on a M.2 controller. We can make use of the controller with M.2 PCI Express or SATA units, if they happen to be compatible. This last case is less common, since it requires an integrated SATA controller within another controller. Other controllers just bridge our SATA slots towards the controller, being the motherboard controller the one in charge of the units. In the next image you can see this adapter cards, which additionally support USB.

Some units are sold directly without a controller, so we will need to take care of this ourselves. I am going to give you the best alternative, price and quality wise. In order for you to have an adequate support for those M.2 units that start to excel. It is important to select the right socket and the right interface to have some bandwidth margin. Remember that M.2 uses two different sockets, 2 and 3, with switched cuttings from left to right that indicate PCI Express 4x in the second case and 2x in the first one.

The best controller that you find for less than 70 dollars is the DeLOCK 89370. This controller has a PCI Express 3.0 4x bus and a socket 3, meaning that it is perfectly capable of hosting the fastest units today, and the ones to come. The NMVe support requires a bit more than that; Motherboard bios support – this Is an important first step and not too expensive – so that your PC can have access to the best SSD units that are coming to the market. This controller has an only limitation, a small limitation if you ask me. And it’s that it’s max length is 80mm for the M.2 units. The standard uses units up to 110mm long, 22mm wide, but this controller is just 80mm long. Although, in exchange it guarantees us compatibility with two-faced units.